Did Oyo IGR increase by 26.4%, Is Kaduna planning to tax everyone above 18?
By Niyi Oyedeji on December 4, 2020A VIRAL post on Twitter claimed that Oyo State Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) has increased by over 26 per cent.
The post added that Kaduna State is planning to tax everyone above 18 years in the state.
The claims were made by a Twitter influencer, #OurFavOnlineDoc with the handle @DrOlufunmilayo on November 16.
Dr Olufunmilayo is currently having over 301,600 followers on her Twitter account where these claims were made.
“Seyi Makinde promised his govt will never increase tax on any Oyo citizen. NBS report showed Oyo State IGR increased 26.4% DESPITE no extra taxes.
But El-Rufai plans to tax everyone >18 in his state- though he has not given everyone jobs,” the tweet read in part.
THE CLAIMS:
From the tweet, these two claims were established:
- Oyo State IGR increased by 26.4 per cent.
- Kaduna State Government is planning to tax everyone above 18 years in the state.
THE FINDINGS:
CLAIM 1 : Did Oyo State IGR increase by 26.4% ?
Data show that the claim is TRUE.
The IGR – Internally Generated Revenues – are revenues generated by States within the Nigerian federation.
It is independent of their share of revenue from the federation account. States generate their IGR through fines, taxes, sales, rents, interest and other avenues.
Although the author of this claim did not specify the particular quarter of the year or period he was talking about but the FactCheckHub findings show that the Oyo State IGR has increased to 26.4% in the latest data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
According to the data for Internally Generated Revenue at State Level for the 2020 half-year (H1) released by the NBS, Oyo State IGR had a 26.4% increase when compared to the same period of the previous year.
The total revenue for the half-year 2020 stands at N17,773,591,538.99 against the N14,060,685,978.15 that it was in the 2019 half-year.
CLAIM 2: Is Kaduna State Government planning to tax everyone above 18 years?
Checks show that the claim is TRUE.
Findings by the FactCheckHub shows that the Kaduna State Government is planning to tax every citizen of the state that is above 18 years of age.
The Kaduna State Internal Revenue Service (KSIRS) had on November 10 announced via its Twitter page that the state will begin to charge every citizen of the state that is above 18 years a compulsory N1,000 as Development Levy.
“Payment of Development Levy is compulsory, citizens of Kaduna State from 18 years and above are entitled to pay their development Levy into Kaduna State Revenue Accounts, it’s your civic responsibility to pay your N1,000 as Development Levy. #TAX4SERVICE,” the tweet read.
Similarly, Dr Zaid Abubakar, The Executive Chairman of the Kaduna State Internal Revenue Service (KADIRS) has said at a news conference in Kaduna, that as from 2021, every adult residing in the state would be made to pay the N1,000 levy.
THE VERDICT:
The claim that Oyo State IGR has increased by 26.4% is TRUE.
The claim that Kaduna State Government is planning to tax everyone above 18 years in the state is TRUE.
